Coin-controlled vending-machine



(No Model.) I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. F. D. ARTHUR.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE. No. 548,283. Patented 001;. 22, 1895.

AN DREW BIRMIAM, PHOTD-UTNOWASHINGTOIKDC (No Model.) i 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. D. ARTHUR. D GOIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE. No. 548,283. Patented 001;. 22, 1895.

- v V IQ l y) Mesa-es.- zz Y 1 ANDREW EGRANAM.iHDTO-LITNQWASNINGIOI,BL

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK D. ARTHUR, OF SCARBOROUGH, NEW YORK.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,283, dated October 22, 1395.

Application filed January 18, 1895- Serial No. 535,340. (No model.)

,To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. ARTHUR, of Scarborough, in the county of Westchester and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Coin-Controlled Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in coin-controlled vending-machines, and more particularly to that class of vending-machines in which the coin inserted forms, temporarily, a part of the vending operating mechanism.

I contemplate usingmy invention especially for the vending of cigarettes, cigars, and the like, but, of course do not limit myself to such use, as my invention is well adapted for vending many difierent kinds of articles.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of the above character in which one article is vended for each coin inserted and to provide a construction in which the plunger cannot be returned to its normal position until the coin is ejected from the chute, thereby allowing the vending operating-slide to return to its normal position.

A practical embodiment of myinvention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical central section through the operating parts of the apparatus from front to rear, the coin-chute being shown in side elevation with a coin therein, the several parts being shown in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus, the hopper being removed. Fig. 3 is view similar to that shown in Fig. 1, the parts eing shown in the position which they assume when the coin has been forced along the chute by the plunger and has caused one of the articles to be vended, the coin having reached a position to be ejected by reason of its contact with the incline to be hereinafter described. Fig. 4 is a transverse horizontal section through the coin-chute and vending operatingslide, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of the coin-chute, showing the manner of withdrawing the plunger; and Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section through the coin-chute on the line to a: of Fig. 1, the coin being removed.

' shaft 0.

A designates the agitating-roller, and it is mounted to rock within a suitable casing on the shaft or. Above the agitating-roll A, I 10- cate a suitable hopper B, having inclines b b for directing the articles to be vended onto the surface of the agitating-roll A. In front of the agitating-roll A, I pivot a vending-roll C, which is mounted to rock upon a suitable This vending-roller C is provided with a'suitable gear 0', which meshes with a gear a upon the agitating-roller A, so that as the agitating-roller is caused to rock in one direction it will cause the vending-roll O to rock in the opposite direction.

The incline b of the hopper B is extended along and spaced from the agitating-roll A, as shown at b so as to form a suitable guide to direct the articles to be vended to the vending-roll C. This downwardly-extending portion 6 of the hopper is spaced such a distance from the agitating-roll A that it will cause the articles to be vended to extend in a single row along the agitating-roller A at that portion where they are to be engaged by the Vending-roller O. v

The vending-roll C is provided with a suitable pocket c ,'extending lengthwise thereof, which pocket, when the rollers are in their normal position, is presented at the mouth of the hopper B in position to-receive one of the articles to be vended therein. As the vending-roll O is rocked by the rocking of the agitating-roll A, the pocket 0 is moved into a position to vend the article therein, and at the same time the exterior of the vending-roll C will close the mouth of the hoppemB and prevent the escape of any of the articles within the hopper.

The casing in which the agitating-roll, vending-ro1l, and the hopper are located is denoted by D, and it is preferably provided with a front partition (1 and an incline d, which extends downwardly to its bottom plate d I The casing is further provided with a suitable opening at therein, through which the article to be vended falls when it is released from the vending-roll.

The mechanism for vending the articles is as follows: E designates the coin-chute, and it is provided with a groove e, extending its entire length. The width of this groove is about the diameter of the coin which is to be ICO used to operate the vending apparatus, and for a portion of its length it is cut away so as to form narrow overhanging lips e 6 so' that if a coin slightly smaller than the coin which is to be used to operate the apparatus is dropped into the chute it will fall out of the groove 6 laterally. At the inner end of the groove 6 I cut away the lips e e entirely, as 7 shown at (2 a so that as the coin reaches this portion it can be forced out of the chute. I further provide the chute E with a recess or groove f, which extends along the chute to the cut-away portions 2 e of the groove e, and within this recess f I mount the operatingplunger F, which is provided with a suitable operating handle or knob f. This plunger is held in sliding engagement within the groove f by means of suitable guides or wings f f which extend into the upper and lower walls of the groove 6 and are confined by the overlapping lips or edges 6' e This plunger F is preferably provided with a V- shaped nose f which is adapted to engage the edge of the coin after it is dropped into the groove 6 and force it along the said groove. The plunger F is drawn backwardly, after it has been forced forwardly along the chute, by means of a suitable retractingspring G, which engages a suitable stud g upon the chute E and a stud g on the forward end of the plunger F, which latter stud or pin extends through an elongated slot 9 in the chute E. The ends of the elongated slot a serve to limit the forward and backward movements of the plunger F. A coin-slot 6 extends through the bottom plate 61 of the casing D into the groove (2 in the chute E, for the purpose of inserting coins from the outside of the apparatus into position to be operated upon. Directly under the coin-slot e 1 provide a narrower slot e so that if coins of less width than those which are adapted to operate the vending-machine are inserted into the machine they will fall through the narrow slot c and cannot therefore be caused to operate the machine. An incline H extends from the chute E a short distance outwardly therefrom, and is so located that when the coin is forced by the plunger F to the cut-away portions 6 e the incline II will engage the forward edge of the coin and direct it outwardly, so that the further forward movement of the plunger F will eject the coin from the chute.

The slide which operates the vending-roll is designated by I, and it extends within the groove e and is provided with two branches 2' 21, which extend each side of the incline H, and when the slide is in its normal position these branches extend along the groove e, beyond the cut-away portions 6 a, nearly to the coin-slot e. The sliding of this slide I rocks the agitating roll A by means of a suitable connection K, which is secured at one end it: to the slide I and at its other end kto a crank mounted on the shaft 11, so as to rock with the agitating-roll A. It will thus be seen that as the slide I is slid forwardly and backwardly it will swing the crank-arm k and thereby rock the agitating-roller A; also, by reason of the gear connection between the roll Aand the roll 0, the movement of the slide backwardly and forwardly will rock the vending-roll C. The slide is drawn back after it has been forced forwardly bymeans of asuitable retracting spring L, which is secured at its end to the slide I, as shown at l, and at its other end is secured to the chute E, as shown at Z.

The mechanism which I have shown for preventing the plunger F from being operated before it has been forced its full distance forwardly so as to eject the coin from the chute is by a suitable pawl-and-ratchet connection between the plunger and the chute. In the present instance I have shown a rackbar M, secured to the chute E, and I have mounted upon the plunger F a suitable pawl min position to engage the teeth upon the rack-bar M as the plunger is slid along the chute E. This pawl m is yieldingly held in engagement with the teeth of the racl -bar M by means of a suitable spring m bearing thereon. The pawl is so located upon the plunger F that the plunger, after it has begun its forward movement, cannot be retracted or withdrawn uutilit has been forced its full distance forwardly, which distance is sufficient to eject the coin from the chute, when the plunger may then be withdrawn, the pawl running idly over the teeth upon the rack-bar M. f

In operation, supposing it to be desired to vend one of the articles within the vending apparatus, a coin of the desired denomination is dropped through the slot e into the groove 6 in the chute E. The plunger F is then forced forwardly and its nose f engages the rear edge of the coin and forces it forwardly along the groove e until the forward edge of the coin engages the branches 2' 1; of the slide I, and then the still further forward movement of the plunger F will cause the slide I to he slid along the groove 6 until the coin is engaged by the incline H and ejected from the chute. This sliding movement of the slide I will, as has been hereinabove explained, cause the pocket 0 in the vendingroll 0 to be rocked until it will release the article within the pocket and cause it to drop onto the incline d, and the said incline directing it through the opening (1 in position to be removed by the purchaser. The slide and the plunger will both be caused to return to their normal positions by their retracting-springs L and G, when the device will be ready for the insertion of another coin and the vending of another article.

It will be seen that as the plunger is forced forwardly it closes the communication between the coin-slot e and the groove e in the chute, thereby preventing the insertion of another coin until the parts have resumed their normal position; and it will be further seen that the parts cannot be returned to their normal position until the coin has been ejected from the chute, because of the pawland-ratchet engagement between the plunger and the chute. This latter feature prevents the beating of the machine by using the same coin over again a number of times and vending an article each time the coin is operated.

I preferably provide the agitating-roll A with one or more abutments 0., extending longitudinally of the roll, which abutments, as the roller is rocked, engage the articles and prevent any clogging at the mouth of the hop- In the present instanceI have shown the connecting-rod K as extending through a suitable slot a in the roller A, and have located the crank-arm k on the shaft a within the said roller; but of course I may locate the said parts entirely without the roller, it so desired.

The apparatus as above described is very simple in construction, positive in action, and is one in whichthe danger of beating the machine is reduced to a minimum.

It is obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the construction and operation of the several parts herein described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to. limit myself strictly to the structure herein set forth; but

What I claim is- 1. In combination, a vending mechanism, a slide for operating the vending mechanism, a plunger, a chute having a groove therein for the reception of a coin edgewise between the plunger and the slide for bringing the slide under the control of the plunger for operating the vending mechanism, the said' chute being provided further with a cut-away portion communicating with the coin groove,

and an incline on the chute at the cut-away portion for causing'the coin to be ejected from the chute after the vending mechanism is'operated, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination, a vending mechanism, a coin chute, a slide for controlling the vending mechanism having a sliding movementin the chute, a plunger having a sliding movement in the chute, said chute havinga groove for directing a coin edgewise between the plunger and slide, and a cut-away portion communicating with the coin groove, an incline on the chute in position toeject the coin therefrom as the plunger is further advanced after the vending mechanism is operated, and a pawl and ratchet connection between the plunger and chute, whereby the plunger cannot be returned to its normal position until it has operated the vending mechanism and ejected the coin from the chute, substantially as set forth.

3. In a vending machine, the combination with a receptacle for the articles to be vended, an agitating roll engaging the said articles, means under the control of a coin for, rocking the said agitating roll, and a vending roll under the control of the agitating roll in position to receive one of the articles to be vended, whereby as the agitating roll is rocked the vending roll will be caused to release the article therein, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination, areccptacle for the reception of the articles to be vcnded, an agitating roller, means for operating it, a vending roll under the control of the agitating rolland a guide cooperating with the agitating roll to dispose a plurality of the articles in a single row intermediate of the receptacle and the vending roll, substantially as set forth.

FRANK D. ARTHUR.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, R. B. SEWARD. 

